Claire pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail as she held her paintbrush between her teeth. Perhaps she had taken on a bigger project than she could manage, but she was still having a lot more fun that she cared to admit. Tucking a few loose blonde strands behind her ear, the young woman blended the colors in front of her to make a soft hue of lavender. A smile spread across her face. Playing with the palette of colors made her feel like a child again. The various shades of blue were the spring sky she wistfully stared at from her classroom window. Sometimes it felt like three-thirty would never come soon enough, especially in the warmer months. Claire had wanted to do nothing more than stand outside and drink in the colors of the sky, admire the clouds, and breathe in the fresh air. She now knew what real fresh air felt and smelled like, she realized with a smile. Mineral Town had much more to offer in scenery than she could have ever hoped for in the city.
Claire looked back down at her palette. A gentle pink was the color of her raincoat in second grade that she had torn when she tripped down the stairs in front of the school. Claire had cried in fear that her parents would be upset at the damaged garment. She had snuck into her parent's room, retrieved her mother's sewing box and attempted to repair the coat to the best of her ability, her vision blurred with nervous tears. She remembered jumping in guilt and jugging her finger with the needle when her mother came home from work, asking what she was working on. Claire had burst into tears and confessed what had happened, asking for her mother's critique of her handiwork, apologizing for ripping the coat all at the same time. To her surprise, her mother had set the jacket off to the side and wrapped her daughter in a warm hug, inspecting her for cuts and bruises. Claire decided she liked that soft pink color.
The sensation of damp tears streaming down her face snapped the young woman out of her reminiscing and she realized how constricted her throat was. After swallowing a few times, her gaze moved toward the small stack of mail beside her bed. She had still heard no word from her parents. Thinking of them as overworked businesspeople had always helped alleviate her frustration at their lack of communication. She knew that they had more important things to do, but she still had that empty feeling inside when she thought about it too much.
Claire felt a lump in her throat and stared back at her project. Ann's birthday party was tomorrow, and her creation needed to dry overnight; she needed to get back to work. She looked back at her mixed colors, hoping to have a more lighthearted memory from another color.
Gray. She hated that the very sight of the hue made her think of the young man that shared the same name. Claire realized with a small bit of pride that her tearful memory a moment ago was the first time she had cried today, and she hadn't cried at all the day before. Each day got a little easier and she found that the whole situation no longer angered her. She had to admit that she still felt a little sad about her unrequited love, but distractions seemed to keep her from dwelling too much on the heartache.
The young woman studied the pale shade of paint. She wanted to associate something different with it. She emptied her mind as she stared at the blob of color, letting thoughts come and go as they pleased. It wasn't long until a strong memory of this hue resurfaced. The soft gray was the worn and cracked pavement where hours were spent playing hopscotch or observing trails of ants. Claire often played alone, so she had to be creative with her games. She imagined the ants as a formation of knights marching home to their queen or going on quests to bring her treasures and snacks. The girl made voices for the insects, often crouching low to the ground to get a better look at them, speaking in a high pitched squeak for them. Once she leaned in so close to the ground that she fell forward, her cheek gently bumping the asphalt. It hadn't hurt, but she found herself crying nevertheless in fear that she had crushed her playmates. She had searched the pavement and found, to her surprise, the tidy row of ants stoically continuing on their way.
Claire swirled the light gray in with the soft pink and looked curiously at her project. She enjoyed what she referred to as playing with colors as opposed to painting an actual image. Different shades and hues had so much potential, so many combinations. Experimenting with the way colors looked together was hardly something that could be messed up, and she found it very relaxing.
Her heart throbbed with pleasure as she mixed the colors together, leaving thick streaks of pigment behind. At some point she had forgotten that she was working on a gift for her friend and she had immersed herself in her painting, singing as she relished the way the different hues blended. Claire's spirit hadn't felt this free since she was very young. She wasn't sure what had possessed her to choose this particular project, let alone decide to paint it, but she was grateful for it. Her childhood lay before her, a cheerful mix of soft blues and pinks blending into a comforting shade of lavender. Upon seeing the color, she took a short break to apply some essential oil to her neck, breathing the fragrance in deeply as she sat back down on her floor cushion.
She broke into song as she played with the paints a bit more, a sunny yellow – her older sister's hair in the summer sunlight – and mellow blue – her favorite flavor of popsicle sold at the convenience store back in the city – transitioning into a cheery green that reminded the woman of her pathetic little herb garden back at her apartment before it had started to wilt. Not too long ago, she had sat in her drab apartment, wondering if there was something exciting that the world had to offer her. She had looked at the sickly looking basil plant and wonder if she, too, was dying. That green – that happy, rich color – had represented hope for the future. Her heart swelled once more as she realized that she had already done so much here at Mystic Acres, and that there was a future for her here, whether or not it involved Gray, or any man for that matter.
And maybe that's okay.
She carefully dabbed on the paint and admired her handiwork, stifling a delighted giggle. The rainbow of colors she had painted were a reflection of her inner thoughts and her heart. Claire suddenly remembered that this was a gift to be given to Ann and her smile and laughter faded. The swirls she had created felt very personal and intimate. What if Ann looked at the offering with confusion and this whole soul-bearing creation was thrown in the garbage the next day? Moreover, she knew she was being silly with such a childish project and there was a good chance Ann would give her birthday gift a strange look. Claire bit her lip as she looked at blended colors in front of her. Maybe the whole thing was foolish and she would be the laughingstock of the birthday party. Ann would be left in the uncomfortable position of scraping together a compliment for the gift amidst the stares. Claire's confidence deflated as she twirled the paintbrush in her fingers.
She was distracted from her thoughts when Koro padded across the room to the table, his nails gently tapping on the hardwood floor as he did so.
"What do you think, Koro? Do you think she's gonna find this stupid?" the blonde held up a piece of her project to show her pet.
The puppy curiously tilted his head and wagged his tail in response.
She let out a delighted giggle. "Ah, you think she'll appreciate it?" Claire asked hopefully, forgetting that she was asking a dog for his opinion on her artwork.
Koro flopped on his side, rolling on his back as he looked up at her imploringly for a belly rub.
The young woman took a break from her work and complied with his request, giggling as she did so. "You'll tell me anything so that you get pampered, huh?"
0o0o0o0
Ann tore through the paper like an eager child and tossed the balled up wrapper over her shoulder, giggling as she did so. Her eyes glowed like a pair of sapphires as she opened the small box. She pulled out a pristine satin ribbon. "Ah, how pretty! How did you know blue was my favorite color?" She turned her head to meet Popuri, nearly smacking Karen in the face with her braid as she did so. The grocer's daughter let out a loud exclamation in surprise and scowled as Claire giggled at her.
"A little birdy told me," Popuri winked, giving Karen a rough nudge that caused her to choke on her beer.
The brunette groaned in frustration at the rough treatment. "Ann, how about you use that ribbon to tie your hair into a bun so you don't smack me?" She turned toward Popuri. "And enough with the roughhousing! We're at a lady's birthday party, not a backyard brawl!" Ann finished off her soda and let out a loud belch that shook the room. Karen rolled her eyes and pretended to look offended. "What was I thinking?"
Claire let out a snort. "You were thinking that you can burp louder than that! I've heard you before!" She had surprised herself that she had chosen such bold words, but the snickers around her confirmed that she hadn't stepped out of line.
Her friend was glad that she was loosening up a little. Perhaps she could lighten up the mood a bit more. A sly smile crossed Karen's lips as she raised her eyebrows. "Hello, pot. My name is kettle."
The farmer turned a bright shade of red and pouted. "That was one time!" When they had their My Dear Princess marathon back at the end of spring, Karen had brought over some fizzy drinks to share. Needless to say, her friend had learned about one of Claire's hidden "talents". The farmer had always tried her best to remain well-mannered in front of her friends, but now that Karen had seen a chip in her armor, she was sure that she would never live it down.
Ann snapped open another soda and shoved it in front of Claire's face. "This sounds like a challenge!" A huge grin spread across the redhead's mouth. "Come on. Me and you! Wanna go for volume or length?"
Claire shyly reached for the burlap sack she brought with her instead of rejecting the drink. "How about you open my gift instead?" The blonde politely held out the bag and Karen nodded in approval; it seemed her best friend was getting more comfortable being in a group and she was slowly but surely getting a little more used to speaking up.
"Well, I guess I can't argue with that!" Ann tied the blue ribbon on top of her usual white bow and eagerly reached for the bag. It was an irregular shape and she was very curious to see what her present was – based on the appearance of the bag alone, she had no idea what the bag was concealing. She thought of possible things her friend could have offered. "Did you bring me a sack of tomatoes from your farm?" She didn't wait for a response as she stuck her hand inside.
Claire could feel her heart pounding in anticipation. She hoped that the gift went over well, and that Ann appreciated the hard work she put into it. She tried her best to shove down her fears about how her friend may negatively react.
"Well, what is it?" Popuri asked impatiently, squirming a bit in her seat. It was difficult pretending to remain a polite lady when Ann was being, well, herself. She gave the whole room a casual vibe. Popuri longed to let go and relax like Karen and Ann, but she didn't want to embarrass herself. She would just wait until the gossiping and girl talk started – she was eager to hear about crushes, rank the boys next door on cuteness, and gush about Kai. He wasn't her boyfriend, but things were certainly looking promising. Maybe she could ask them for advice on how to talk to her brother about him, and maybe how to seal the deal with Kai.
Ann's bright blue eyes widened. "Whoa… it's a huge pinwheel!" She finished pulling the gift out of the bag and inspected it closely. The stick was almost the full length of her arm and the pinwheel itself was the size of a serving tray. "Did you make this yourself?" she breathed.
Claire heard small gasps from Popuri and Karen and felt her face turn hot. The farmer stared at the floor. Maybe she had made a poor choice in gift after all. "Uh… yeah. I painted it myself," the young woman nervously twisted a strand of her hair around her finger. When she gathered the courage to look back up, the three other women were huddled around the gift.
"I was wondering what you were doing to do with those paints you bought at the shop," Karen grinned. "My dad would be happy to know there's another artistic soul out here."
Claire rolled her eyes. She never thought of herself as very creative. The young woman had a hard time making any eye contact with anyone as her cheeks burned. Surely they were just trying to be polite to her about her feeble attempts at creativity. "I'm not exactly an artistic person. I worked with numbers all day back in the city."
"Well, I'd call this artistic," Popuri smiled at her as she gently turned the blades on the pinwheel. The colors blended together to make a lovely rainbow. The friends all watched it in fascination, and even the farmer had to admit that the bright hues made it fun to watch.
The pinwheel reminded the redhead of lighthearted childhood days, and the bright paintjob on the blades had a very personal touch. "I wish I could make something this beautiful. Thanks a ton for this, Claire. I mean it," Ann looked over at the farmer and gave her a sincere smile.
Now that she had the gift recipient's words of approval, Claire felt a rush of pride that she was able to make something that brought joy to others. Perhaps she was capable of something creative, she realized. She studied the expressions on her friends' faces, looking for a false smile or a smirk and was surprised when she didn't see one.
"You'll have to take it up to the mountain peak to see what that thing can really do," Karen suggested, gathering up the shreds of colorful wrapping paper that littered the floor.
Ann let out a chuckle. "All the way up to the peak of Mother's Hill? I don't know if I'm that adventurous – that's really high up!" Claire curiously tilted her head as she looked at her friend in surprise. She thought that if anyone in this room had gone up to the mountain peak often, it would be Ann, due to her outgoing, playful nature. "Maybe I'll have to go with you, Claire. You can be my guide. I know Cliff takes you there a lot." Ann found that this fact no longer caused a wave of jealousy to surge within her. There had been times when she saw the tenant bound downstairs eagerly with rosy cheeks and immediately regretted asking who he had plans with. The redhead spun the blades of the pinwheel lazily, admiring the colors. A smile spread across her face. The gift had a sweet innocence about it. She remembered the time she spent with Claire the other day and the carefree fun they shared. Ann pushed away the guilt she had for avoiding the young woman in the past. Claire wasn't a rival, she was a friend. The farmer was a kindhearted person, if a little bit quiet, and she was glad that they were spending time together now. The more she was in the company of Claire, the more she liked her and realized why her other friends enjoyed spending time with the blonde.
Claire mulled over Ann's words. She had gone with her male friend pretty far up the mountain a few times to forage for herbs and wild fruits. She always had a lot of fun on their outings and it was easy to lose track of time. "We could go there sometime if you want. It's really pretty up there, and there's so much to see. You could probably get a good breeze at the ocean, too."
"Oh, you're right!" Popuri piped up. "The view at the beach is so pretty! I go there every afternoon!" The young woman let out an excited giggle and a pleased grin spread across her lips.
Ann rolled her eyes. She knew where this conversation was headed and she was determined to steer it away from gossip about boys. "Oh, I know you do, Popuri. We all do. And I have a hunch that the view you like so much isn't of the ocean," she added as a joke and immediately regretted it.
The young woman laughed a little too loudly as she turned pink. "Oh, Ann, you're so baaad!" She gave her friend a playful shove that practically begged the redhead to inquire about what she enjoyed looking at so much.
Ann ignored this silent request as she absentmindedly shuffled through the records that Karen had brought over. She had borrowed the record player from Kai, but she didn't dare to mention this to Popuri for fear of her gushing about the young man and inevitably turning this into a girly party. Ann shuddered at the very thought. She could see it now, them all painting their nails and styling their hair while they talked about their breast sizes and boys they thought were cute. A chill ran down her spine. Still, she supposed they could settle for a happy medium. "Who's up for listening to some music? Maybe some karaoke?" she suggested.
Karen cracked open a beer and drank deeply. "Yes, that sounds awesome." She popped a few sweets into her mouth.
The birthday girl stared indignantly at her. "Hey, are you digging into the gift you gave me?" Ann pretended to sulk at the snack basket that the brunette was breaking into.
Her friend seemed unfazed by her friend's displeasure. They had, after all, been friends for years and she knew it took much more than that for Ann to be truly upset. "Deal with it," Karen tore open a bag of chips and crunched them loudly, daring her friend to complain. Ann shrugged and opened another bag of chips, offering some to a protesting Claire.
The redhead didn't take refusal for an acceptable answer. It seemed the farmer had taken her playful scolding of Karen a bit too seriously. "Really, I don't mind – help yourself! Chances are this basket will be empty by the end of the night," Ann laughed, tossing a handful of chips into her mouth. "May as well pick your favorites before they're gone!"
Claire felt bad taking snacks when she didn't bring any food of her own to share. She shyly helped herself to some crackers while she observed Popuri turning on the record player and deciding with Karen which record to put on first. It wasn't long until the pair was singing a duet together.
Ann crunched into some snacks pensively. "I can't believe I'm 23… I guess I've officially been an adult for a while now… Next year I'll be two dozen years old…" The thought was a bit sobering – she felt in many ways that she was still a child and the thought of getting older made her a little uncomfortable. She looked at her companion. Claire was around her age and she was running a farm by herself. Ann bit her lip. Perhaps she was lagging behind and needed to act more like a grownup. The idea made her heart hurt.
The blonde caught the expression on her face and gave Ann a consoling smile. Her friends in the city seemed quite nervous about aging and she was a little startled to see that her friend felt the same way. "There's nothing wrong with being an adult, and it's not like we're old by any means. I'll be joining you at the end of fall."
The redhead let out a sigh. Maybe change would be good; perhaps she should start making some changes to be a little more responsible at the inn. She could start small – learning a few new recipes couldn't hurt things, but she wasn't ready to give up smacking misbehaving tenants with her broom just yet. "I guess you're right. I mean, Kai will be turning 25 in a couple of weeks and Gray will be 27 in the winter-"
She was cut off by a loud high-pitched squeak that Claire could only assume was Popuri's attempt at hitting a high note in the song. Everyone in the room burst into giggles.
"Drop it an octave, girl, or you're going to kill us all," Karen laughed, ruffling Popuri's pink locks. At this rate, the young woman was going to make all the animals in Mineral Town go insane with her loud, squeaky song.
She stopped singing and looked at her friend curiously. "What's an octave?"
Karen let out an exasperated sigh. "Never mind." The young woman just turned up the volume of the music instead to drown out Popuri's less-than-stellar singing voice.
Claire focused back on her conversation with Ann. She didn't realize that Gray was four years older than herself. Maybe he saw her as a child and never thought of her as girlfriend material. Still, they were getting to the age where four years hardly seemed like a difference. Maybe when they were teenagers the age gap would have seemed more significant. Claire was indeed an adult now, she realized again. She remembered her conversation with Cliff on his birthday – she was at the point in her life where she was becoming more comfortable with the woman she was and the changes in personality year to year were becoming less dramatic. She hoped that someday she would be completely satisfied with the person she was and not be swayed by outside forces so much. She thought of her dance with the old blacksmith last week and felt a small ray of hope. "When I get older, I pray that I can be strong and wise like Saibara." Claire popped a few chips into her mouth and crunched thoughtfully. "He's the goal of what I'd like to be."
The young woman found that she had to agree. "He is a lot sweeter than most people give him credit for," Ann replied, smiling. Both friends hadn't noticed that the squeaky song ceased for the moment. "He really has a good heart. He's always looking out for others, whether they realize it or not. Sometimes I sit with him in the bar and we just talk about life."
"That sounds really nice," the blonde replied, smoothing out the wrinkles in her brand new nightgown. "I got to dance with him at the party and it was a lot of fun."
Popuri had popped her head between the two friends and they jumped with surprise. "Who are we talking about? Are you crushing on someone, Claire?"
Ann and Claire simply laughed in response. The farmer's heart felt so light. A week ago, she would have turned red at the question, preoccupied with her feelings about the blacksmith's apprentice. Tonight she didn't care. Either it was the wine cooler she drank earlier, or she was actually starting to heal. A little part of her was afraid of this notion, but she pushed it out of her mind. It felt so good not to dwell on it, and she intended on enjoying herself tonight.
Their friend wasn't satisfied with this reply. "Hey, I wanna know! It's Cliff, isn't it? Or maybe the doctor? Trent's really handsome and classy, don't you think? Cliff's a little more – how do you say it – rough around the edges, but he's still pretty cute. So who is it?" she eagerly asked. Popuri's face lit up. Finally, the party was going to start getting a little more interesting…
The farmer laughed harder at Popuri's insistence on the topic of conversation. "We're talking about Saibara!" Claire and Ann burst into fits of giggles.
Popuri rolled her eyes and walked back over to the record player in a huff, frustrated that they weren't interested in talking about crushes or men around their age. Their laughter had attracted the brunette. "So, you like those silver foxes, huh, Claire?" she asked, casually twirling a strand of brown hair around her finger as she reached for another beer.
The three laughed heartily, and Popuri attempted to sing over them, causing the yellow tabby in the hallway to begin yowling through the door. There was a thud on the shared wall; no doubt it was a thrown work boot. The redhead already knew who it was.
"Dammit, Ann! I have work in the morning!" Gray's voice was muffled.
Ann stopped her laughter to yell back at him. "Well, I have a party tonight!" she retorted, beaming at her friends. The two women snickered in response.
A second voice could be heard on the other side of the wall. "Hey, ladies, I'll hang out with you," Kai's voice was flirty.
Popuri's voice halted as she heard the voice and her face turned rather red. She bounced on the balls of her feet in excitement, fidgeting with the bow on her nightgown. The young woman tried not to look too excited, but she failed miserably. "Um… Ann… C-Can he? Please?"
The birthday girl smirked and reached into her pajama shorts pocket, producing a key ring, which she swung around her finger. "I'll do you one better – I'll go drag them all over here. Let's get some group games going, eh?"
The room erupted in giggles, but Claire felt her cheeks grow warm as she pulled her nightgown over her knees, noticing it had crept up a little. Her nightgown was modest, but the thought of men seeing her in her pajamas embarrassed her a bit.
Popuri's dreams were finally coming true. "What kinds of games?" Her eyes shined like two large garnets as she played with a pink curl.
Ann snorted. No doubt she had been hoping to get cozy with Kai during some of the activities. "Ann games," she replied simply, as if that explained everything.
The farmer almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of her friend's words. "What are 'Ann games'?" Claire asked curiously.
"You'll see," the redhead winked at her as she stood up. "We'll be remembering this party for years to come!"
0o0o0o0
Author's note: I didn't do this on purpose, but today's the eve of my own birthday, and Ann is my middle name, haha. It's funny how it worked out that way.
Writing more about Claire's past just kind of came out, but I'm glad it did. It gives her a little more depth and insight into her character.
By the way, pinwheels symbolize turning your luck around and innocence. I felt that this theme was appropriate for Ann as she is at a turning point in her life – getting over a crush and learning more about herself in the process.
I hope y'all are looking forward to the Ann games. So what are "Ann games"? You'll just have to read to find out! I hope you enjoyed! :)